When I woke up this morning my knees were pretty sore. Sometimes they get better as I ride, sometimes they don't. I took some ibuprofen and started riding.
For breakfast, I stopped at the convenience store and bought some powdered donuts and chocolate milk. Instead of eating them there, I stuffed them into my handlebar bag and rode to the ferry. I'll be crossing the Mississippi river this morning, and thought I could save some time by eating during the crossing.
There was a twenty-minute wait at the ferry, and I started eating before I got on the boat. By the time the ferry was full, so was I.
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| From Mark on a Bike 08 2 |
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| From Mark on a Bike 08 2 |
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| From Mark on a Bike 08 2 |
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| From Mark on a Bike 08 2 |
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| From Mark on a Bike 08 2 |
I read some information about the Mississippi levees and found it to be interesting. You may find it interesting as well.
Indians lived along the banks of the Mississippi for hundreds of years and were never bothered when the river left its banks. They simply transported their teepees when the water started rising. However, as one person put it, "It's more difficult to move Baton Rouge."
The river had dropped sediment and created some natural levees, suggesting to the new settlers that building them even higher might offer some protection against the floods. So, in 1724, New Orleans passed an ordinance making each homeowner who lived along the river responsible for building and maintaining an artificial levee. Not everyone complied, but the ones who did built levees of dirt and rock about three feet high. In 1727, the New Orleans levee system was declared complete, and the city was considered to be floodproof.
Someone forgot to inform the Mississippi river, which put the city under water in 1735, then again in 1785. After that, levee building became a business and levee construction developed in earnest.
By the War of 1812 there were levees from New Orleans to St. Francisville, where I'm crossing today, a distance of more than two hundred miles. Still, the river flooded.
By the time the Civil War broke out the levees average about six feet in height. Again and again the river flooded, in 1862, 1866, and 1867.
In 1879, Congress turned over the responsibility of flood control to the Army Corps of Engineers. They discarded alternate plans of tributary runoff, spillways, and downstream reservoirs, deciding instead that the levee system should do the job.
And still, even after occasional pronouncements that the river was finally under control, the river flooded... in 1884, 1890, 1891, 1897, 1898, 1903, 1912, 1913, 1922, and 1927.
By 1928, much of the 1500 miles of levees were eighteen feet or higher. With the repeated flooding someone finally asked, "How high is high enough??" The engineers did some recalculating and this time came to a different and disturbing conclusion: that no matter how high the levees were built they wouldn't be able to contain the waters. They finally returned to their original drawing board and began using the floodways, reservoirs, and control gates it had previously discarded. Levees weren't completely discarded as part of the solution and by the 1930s the average Mississippi levee was 30 feet high.
The Old River Control still functions and is key to flood protection in the lower Mississippi Valley; however, it's been floodproof before.
Across the river from New Roads is St. Francisville. As I pedaled through the town I wished I'd been able to make it across the river yesterday. It looks like a really quaint place to stay.
My goal is to make it to Kentwood (pop 2205) today. Kentwood is the childhood home of Britney Spears. I should amend that, since she's still a child. Kentwood is where Britney Spears was born and spent her early childhood.
However, as I continued to pedal my knees began to hurt more instead of less. I'm not due for a rest day until tomorrow, and I really wanted to put a few more miles behind me, so I just kept riding.
This is a beautiful part of the state. Shortly after leaving St. Francisville, I passed the Oakley Plantation where, in 1821, James Audubon spent four months painting birds. At the time, the old mansions were falling apart, and he expected this one to do the same. Fortunately, it was preserved by the Louisiana government and restored to its original grandeur.
There are some other old plantation houses in this area. Here's a picture of the Ambrosia Plantation, but it's set so far back from the road that you can't really see it, even with the zoom.
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| From Mark on a Bike 08 2 |
Someone should tell the voters about this guy...
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| From Mark on a Bike 08 2 |
After twenty miles of riding my knees weren't any better. They weren't terrible, but the problem is that after Jackson there isn't a place to stop until Kentwood. That means my day will either be around 25 miles or more than 70 miles.
Upon reaching Jackson (pop 4130), I decided that I shouldn't try to push too hard. I'm already a day ahead - I was supposed to have ridden 62 miles a day, and I've done way more than that. I can afford to take a short day.
Arriving in Jackson, I was greeted by this church sign.
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| From Mark on a Bike 08 2 |
The church wasn't on this street, but close.
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| From Mark on a Bike 08 2 |
Laissez les bon temps roulette!!
There are only two places to stay in Jackson, both of which are B&Bs... The Old Centenary Inn and The Milbank Inn. I stopped downtown to call about prices, but when I pulled my cellphone out I noticed that I had no cellphone service. At about the same time I saw I had no service I realized I was practically standing under the sign for The Old Centenary Inn.
Inside, I was met by Bonnie, the Inn's manager. As we were talking, another woman came in, Marilyn. As it turns out, Marilyn is the manager of The Milbank Inn, and just happened to be over there visiting. I learned later, from someone else, that the same person, a guy named Leroy Harvey, owns both Inns, the winery, the town's only restaurant, and just about everything else in the county. The person who told me didn't wasn't making a judgment, just stating a fact.
Bonnie, with a little urging from Marilyn, gave me a great price for a room. I was pretty happy about that, because I'll be here for two nights.
The Old Centenary Inn is a B&B which was built around 1935. The bricks used to build it are from Centenary College, Louisiana's first college.
It was nicely restored in the early 1990s after the original plans for the building were discovered.
It was past lunch time so I asked Marilyn and Bonnie about a good place to eat in town. Surprisingly, there are only THREE places to eat in this town of 4,130 people. I couldn't believe it. I was told there's Bobby's Drive-In, which is run by a woman who's been there every day for years and years. "When she dies, that place is gonna SLAM shut," Marilyn added. There's also Subway and the Bear Corners restaurant.
I asked why there were so few places and learned that the "4130 people" also includes the State Mental Hospital and the prison. Those residents don't get out too often for a nice evening meal on the town.
Or at least I hoped.
The room has a jetted tub, so I spent about forty five minutes getting rid of more than a few aches and pains, then walked down to the Drive-In and ordered a burger. I love to become invisible while I'm eating and listen to the people around me....
"You take a duck and slice it paper thin and wrap it in jalapeno."
"I stayed with my sister in Europe. Back then there was a little store on every corner."
"Yeah, I couldn't believe it either. I just slipped and it cut my knee wide open. They sewed it up but the inside ain't been right since then."
"There was a mini tornado in my back yard. It pulled up a little tree but nothin' else."
"Those Germans just drank til they fell asleep. Every night."
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| From Mark on a Bike 08 2 |
Back in my room I fell asleep for a couple of hours. After that, I blogged the rest of the evening.
23.12 miles
10.8 average
27.2 maximum
2:08:18 time
2044.5 total miles
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